ARC Research Reports

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Export-Oriented Industry Clusters, Trade and Transportation in Appalachia

This research report provides a comprehensive assessment of industry clusters and international trade in Appalachia. This report is an update of the 2004 report, Analysis of Global Competitiveness of Selected Industries and Clusters in the Appalachian Region and provides a current analysis of key export-oriented industries and industry clusters…

Access in Appalachia North Carolina DOT – Pilot Study

This report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and led by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, explores transportation accessibility within North Carolina. Building upon the foundational insights provided by ARC’s Access in Appalachia report of 2020, this report provided an opportunity to measure differences in accessibility across…

ARISE Program Evaluation Annual Report 2024

This report is the first in a series of annual evaluation reports for ARC’s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE). ARISE is a multi-state initiative that aims to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through collaborative projects. Based on a combination of project-level inquiry with initiative-level analysis, key findings for ARISE’s…

Coal Production and Employment in the Appalachian Region, 2024

This report analyzes coal production and employment data from 2000 to 2023, with a focus on how trends in Appalachia compare to those elsewhere in the country. Variation within the region is also examined. For Appalachia as a whole, despite some slight increases over the past few years, coal production…

Appalachian Regional Truck Parking Study

The objective of this research report on truck parking in Appalachia, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and completed by CPCS Transcom Inc., was to: 1) bring together the best available data and insights from existing state-level efforts and complete new research into an integrated regional assessment of truck…

Appalachian Diseases of Despair, 2024

This study analyzes the impact of diseases of despair on mortality within the Appalachian Region, focusing on mortality from three main causes: alcohol, prescription drug, and illegal drug overdose; suicide; and alcoholic liver disease/cirrhosis of the liver. It includes data through 2022 and serves as an update to previous ARC…

Transportation Access in Appalachia – Maryland DOT Pilot Implementation Project

Author(s): Saumya Jain, Eric Lind, Andrew Owen, and Shirley Shiqin Liu  Author Organization(s): Accessibility Observatory, University of Minnesota   This research report, commissioned by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and led by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration, explores transportation accessibility within the Appalachian Region. Building upon the foundational insights provided by…

The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey

This study examines state- and county-level data for the 13 Appalachian states from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey (ACS) and from U.S. Census Bureau population estimates on topics including population, age, race and ethnicity, housing occupancy and tenure, education, labor force, employment and unemployment, income and poverty, health insurance coverage,…

Access to Capital and Credit for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses in Appalachia

Our new report, Access to Capital and Credit for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses in Appalachia:  surveys the economic landscape of small businesses and entrepreneurs in Appalachia,  outlines the available capital supply, and calculates the demand for such capital.  The report also considers the significant and lasting effects…